Slushies, smoothies, milkshakes and other semi-frozen and semi-fluidic beverages are typically prepared using a blender, which is a well-known appliance comprising a container with a removable lid and a motor-driven blade at the container bottom for blending and preparing beverages. Blenders are useful since they simplify and hasten the process of preparing these types of beverages. However, one frustrating side-effect of their use is that during blending some of the beverage ingredients tend to become lodged in crevices of the blender container and/or accumulate at the bottom of the container. The viscosities of these types of beverages are also usually high, and often remain high even after blending. The high viscosities also makes it difficult to pour these types of beverage from blender containers.
After a beverage has been blended, the person operating the blender will typically attempt to use a spatula, spoon, or other utensil to promote pourability of the beverage. However, not only is this technique cumbersome it is also only moderately effective. Indeed, a significant amount of the beverage usually ends up being discarded as waste when the blender is cleaned after use.
Another approach used by blender operators in an attempt to promote pourability is to hit (i.e., bang on) the side of the blender container as the beverage is being poured. This approach is also not entirely effective. It can also cause discomfort, particularly to those blender operators that must use the blender frequently throughout the day, such as employees of beverage companies. Repeated banging on the sides of blender containers not only cause soreness to the operators' palms, in some cases it can even result in wrist and hand injuries.